End the discount culture, wipe out old summonses

I REFER to Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s recent statement that motorists must settle all Road Transport Department summonses by Dec 30 or face blacklisting, with a 50% discount offered from Nov 1 to Dec 30 (“Pay outstanding summons before new policy commences”, The Star, Nov 6; online at bit.ly/49aRtVk).

While the intention to improve compliance is understandable, the government should go beyond the current discount scheme and wipe out all traffic summonses issued in 2024 and earlier. The 50% discount should apply only to summonses issued in 2025. This is the fairest and most practical solution for both the authorities and the public. Many of the old summonses were issued inconsistently – some manually, some digitally – and many vehicle owners were never properly notified. Cancelling all summonses issued before 2025 would correct these administrative weaknesses and allow the government to reset the entire enforcement system fairly and transparently.